


Today Is Where Your Book Begins

by pintobean82



Series: And It Feels So Good [2]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 19:01:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13464540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pintobean82/pseuds/pintobean82
Summary: Thank god for swim lessons and fish goggles.





	Today Is Where Your Book Begins

Nesta had one hell of a week. Her boss was an ass, the women’s center she volunteered at still wasn’t hiring, and to top it all off, it had started to thunderstorm while she was walking home from work. Her phone was dead, so she couldn’t call a cab and therefore, was forced to duck into a bar to wait for the rain to let up. Thank god she had remembered to put her book in her bag this morning before she left for work, even if it sucked. The only consolation was that this bar had mojitos and she was already on her third one. She had walked by this place hundreds of times on her way home from work, but never thought to stop in. That would probably change if her weeks kept going like this.

She looked up from her book to reach for her drink and made eye contact with the attractive man across the bar. _Again_. She had been here for an hour and had caught the man staring at her three times now. She widened her eyes at him in question and saw him smile. He turned back to the beautiful women he had been talking to and said something that made her laugh. The women turned her head to look at Nesta as well, giving her a small wave.

Nesta did not know what to make of this situation. The old Nesta might have flipped them off or rolled her eyes and gone back to her book. But she had long ago learned to be more open, less hostile. Pushing people away had gotten her nowhere in her late teens and early twenties. It certainly did _not_ help her deal with everything that had happened in high school. Not to say she was Elain level of open, bright and cheery, but she was trying. So instead, she gave the blonde woman a small wave back and a tightlipped smile.

The blonde woman turned back to the man, nudging him off his stool. He gave her an exasperated look, and began to walk around the bar, towards her. Nesta braced herself as the man approached. As he got closer, she could more clearly make out his features. Hazel eyes, defined jaw line, brown hair pulled back into a bun, clearly in shape. Even the zip up hoodie he was wearing could not hide his muscles. She was prepared to tell him thanks but no thanks, let him down firmly, but politely. What she was not prepared for, were the first words to leave his mouth.

“Did you take swimming lessons at the community pool on 7th and 56th, like twenty years ago?”

“Yes?”

“HA! I knew it was you! I told you Mor, it is her!” He yelled, turning back towards where his friend was. She didn’t hear him, as she was now excitedly talking to a tall woman with curly brown hair. He turned back to Nesta, “She does this every time I agree to come out for drinks with her and her fiancé. She always promises I won’t be a third wheel and I always am.” He pulled out the stool next to her and sat down, signaling to the bar tender for a drink.

“Um, I’m sorry, do I know you or something?” Nesta asked him.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry! Cassian Tanner,” he said, extending his hand. Nesta looked at his hand. Shake, and basically invite him into a conversation or dismiss him now and get back to her book. Her book sucked.

She took his hand, “Nesta.”

“Nice to officially meet you.” he said, as the bartender placed a beer in front of him.

“So, swimming lessons?”

“Right! I also took swimming lessons there when I was like nine. I think we were in the same class. You pushed me in the pool when I beat you at the butterfly.”

Nesta started to laugh, that certainly sounded like her. “Oh my god, I think I remember that.” She eyed him one more time and a memory hit her. The same hazel eyes, but covered by fogged up plastic. “You were the kid that wore those obnoxious fish goggles!”

“Obnoxious? Those things were awesome! I was the coolest kid in our class!” Cassian replied, giving her a blinding smile. She felt herself smiling back at him.

“I can’t believe you recognized me from across a bar, twenty years later,” Nesta said.

“Well actually, I didn’t recognize you at first. You caught my attention because, well, one, you're reading at a bar, but two, you’re reading my _favorite_ book at a bar. When you looked up the first time, you looked really familiar. The second time we made eye contact it clicked.”

Only one piece of what he said really registered with her, “This piece of shit is your favorite book? You’re joking right?”

“Piece of shit? That’s a literary masterpiece!”

“And you're an expert on books I suppose?” she questioned.

“Well I am an English teacher, so I would say I know a few things.” He gave her a challenging look.

Nesta was surprised. She would have assumed he was a personal trainer, or professional outdoor adventurer, whatever those guys on TV were.

“So tell me what you hate so much about it and I’ll tell you why you should give it another chance.”

“I’m not sure you could ever change my mind. I’ve read a lot of shitty books in my life, but this is by far the worst.”

He just laughed, “Humor me then.”

Nesta met his stare, assessing whether or not he seriously wanted to listen to her talk about a book for the foreseeable future. She saw no reason to doubt him in his gaze. “Alright, fine.”

She proceeded to spend the next 45 minutes tearing the book apart bit by bit. She criticized the main character, the plot, the side plots, the supporting characters, and even the setting. Throughout the whole thing Cassian listened to her, giving her his full attention. He did not interrupt and actually looked interested in what she had to say. When she was finally finished, he took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly, “Wow, you really hate that book. Why even finish reading it?”

“I always finish what a start,” Nesta said, meeting his stare. His eyes gleamed with an emotion she couldn’t read.

“Well you sound like my students. They hated it too,” he said with a sheepish look.

Nesta laughed, “Well your students must be pretty smart then.”

“They’re high school seniors, so I don’t know if I would necessarily use the word smart to describe them,” he said, with a smile on his face.

Nesta was about to reply when the blonde woman Cassian was with earlier approached them.

“Hi, I’m Mor!” The woman said, smiling brightly. “And this is my fiancé Anna,” she gestured to the woman standing next to her.

“Nesta. Nice to meet you both,” Nesta replied, giving both of them a wave.

“Cassian said you shoved him in the pool when you were younger? I’ve never thought to do that, but I’m sure it would be really satisfying,” Mor said, smiling at him.

Cassian just rolled his eyes, “Ignore her, she gets extra sassy when she’s drunk.”

“I am not drunk. I’ve barely had anything to drink!”

“You say that every time we go out,” Anna told her, grabbing Mor’s arm. “We just came over to say we were leaving. And that we would see you tomorrow? For the cake tasting?”

“Yes I will be there! I would never pass up an opportunity for free cake.” 

“Right well, you're going to have to pick up Az because his car is in the shop and Mor and I will be coming straight from the venue.”

“Yes, I will pick him up at 10:30 sharp. We will not be late.”

“Great! Oh I’m so excited! I love cake!” Mor exclaimed, clapping her hands. She turned towards Anna. “And I love you.”

“Okay, when she starts getting mushy, that’s our cue, it’s time to leave,” Anna said, smiling at the both of them. “It was really nice to meet you Nesta.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Nesta called to their retreating forms. She turned back to Cassian, “They seem really great. And really in love.”

“They are,” he said. “You should've seen them when they first started dating. It was painful to be around all the constant heart eyes.”

“How do you know them?”

“Mor and I met in college. She’s the cousin of my roommate actually. We dated for a little bit, but it didn’t work out. We decided we were better off as friends and then a couple months later she met Anna. The rest is history.”

“And now?” Nesta asked.

“Now what?” He replied, leveling her a look.

She rolled her eyes, “You know what I’m asking.”

Cassian chuckled, “I’m not dating anyone now. Too focused on perfecting my curriculum.”

“Seriously? You’re using work as an excuse? That’s so cliche.”

“Well that,” he said, turning his whole body to face her fully. “And the fact that no one has caught my eye lately.”

Nesta’s next breath was caught in her throat. She held his stare, determined to rise to whatever challenge was gleaming in his eyes.

“What about you? Any boyfriends you've been pushing into pools lately?”

“Ha ha ha. No, as a matter of fact no one has caught my eye lately either.”

They stared at each other, both refusing to break eye contact. She hadn’t realized how close she had moved towards him since he had first sat down. Something about him was captivating. It was obvious he felt the same way about her. She hadn’t felt this pull in a long time, and even then, it had never been this strong.

“Well cheers then, Nesta, to catching eyes and obnoxious fish goggles,” he said, breaking the charged silence between them.

She gave him a smile and clinked her glass against his.

…

Nesta had not been drunk in a long time. Her tolerance must have gone way down because she didn’t think she had that many mojitos. She only had three, or maybe four?

“You had five,” Cassian told her, helping her put on her coat.

Oh god, had she said that out load?

Cassian laughed, “I’m just going to do you a favor and let you know that you're probably voicing all your thoughts right now.”

Nesta laughed along with him, “What a gentleman you are!”

“Alright tipsy, you told me you never get drunk, so what happened?”

“I said, I never used to get drunk! I haven’t been to a bar in _ages_. And I deserve a drink. Work sucks. I mean have you ever met a bigger asshole than Mr. Smith?” Nesta asked, looking at Cassian with her most serious stare.

“I don’t know a Mr. Smith actually,” he replied, crossing his arms and giving her an amused smile.

“Sure you do, he’s my boss. Works like two blocks from here? Drives his stupid expensive sports car. Treats the work I want to do like it doesn’t mean anything?”  
“Nesta, I’ve never met your boss before.”

She rolled her eyes at him, “Yes you have, you’re just being forgetful.”

Cassian just shook his head, “You’re drunk, we need to get you home. Did you drive here?”

“No, I’ll just walk thank you. Please hand me my purse and I’ll be on my way,” she said, holding out her hand for the bag Cassian was holding.

“You’re out of your mind if you think you're walking home like this. I’ll drive you, what’s your address?”

“It’s the big red building. The one with all the bricks.”

“I’m going to need an actual street name or number, Nesta.”

“Yeah,” she replied, letting out a sigh. “Me too, pal.”

“Okay, you know what? You can just come to my apartment. We’ll do this in the morning, when you’re sober.”

“Great idea! You can show me where you keep all your fish goggles now!” Nesta exclaimed, letting Cassian lead her outside to his car. He opened the passenger door for her, holding onto her elbow to steady her as she sat down. He shut the door once she pulled her feet in and ran around to the driver’s side.

Nesta softly hummed along to the radio as Cassian drove them back to his place. He was silent as he drove. It was so at odds with the way they could not stop talking back at the bar. Nesta had not had a conversation flow that easily with someone in a long time. He was so likable and intelligent. God, she hadn’t met a guy that loved books as much as her in a long time either. He had listened to every word she said to him at the bar with rapt attention. Every comment he added was actually substantial. He was kind and polite, snarky, but funny, and so, so likable. Not to mention the fact that even though every look he gave her was searing, he didn’t make one move, or do anything to make her feel uncomfortable.

Plus, he was easy on the eyes.

“You’re very likable,” Nesta told him. She watched a small smile form on his face.  
“So are you,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the road.

“No one has ever said that about me before. Most people say I’m hard to get along with. And I’m stubborn.”

“Maybe they just aren’t taking the time to get to know you then,” Cassian said, pulling to a stop in front of a large apartment building. He put the car in park and pulled the keys from the ignition as he turned in his seat to face her.

“Would you take the time to get to know me?” Nesta whispered, meeting his stare.

Cassian’s eyes searched her face. She couldn’t tell what he was looking for. Slowly, he lifted his hand and brushed her hair behind her ear. He kept his palm on her cheek.

“I can’t think of any better way to spend my time,” he said, voice full of sincerity.

Nesta leaned forward slightly, lightly brushing her lips against his own. She could feel his thumb stroking her cheek and she closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his. They stayed like that for a few moments before Cassian broke the silence, “C’mon, let’s get you to bed.”

He got out of the car and came around to her side, opening the door. She took one step out of the car and immediately, everything began to spin. She grabbed Cassian’s arm for balance.

“Alright, you know what? I’ll just carry you. Is that okay?”

Nesta nodded. Cassian scooped her up into his arms and she closed her eyes and laid her head against his shoulder. She didn’t pay attention to how he managed to open any doors, while simultaneously managing not to drop her. The next thing she knew he was setting her down on a soft bed and helping her out of her coat and shoes.

“If you need anything, I’ll be right outside, okay?” he said gently.

Nesta just nodded again, pulling back the covers on the bed and crawling in. He adjusted the blankets for her and she heard him retreat from the room. A minute later he was back, setting something on the nightstand beside the bed. The last thing she registered before falling asleep were his lips, gently pressed against her forehead.

…

The first thing Nesta noticed when she woke up, was the smell of toast and eggs coming from outside the door. The second thing, was that this was most certainly _not_ her bed. The third thing hit her suddenly and painfully. It felt like a marching band was walking across her forehead. She groaned and rolled over on her side. Looking up, she spotted the water and Advil sitting on the nightstand. She sat up, grateful for whoever had enough foresight to place them there.

Who did have enough foresight to place them there?

All at once the night came back to her. Talking to Cassian at the bar. Kissing him in his car. Him bringing her to his room and tucking her into bed. She groaned again and prayed to whatever higher power was in the universe to somehow take away her embarrassment. What kind of person got drunk enough at a bar that a stranger had to take care of them? More importantly, what kind of stranger willingly housed drunk people that needed to be taken care of?

Better get up and find out. 

Nesta slowly slid off the bed, being careful not to move too quickly, as she was pretty sure any sudden movements would cause her to fall over. She slowly made her way out into the hall and followed the smell of breakfast into the kitchen. She was totally unprepared for the sight that greeted her.

Cassian was standing at the stove, his back towards her. He showed no signs that he knew Nesta was awake, which was fine with her. It just meant more time to observe him from behind. He was wearing baggy shorts and no shirt. His back was glorious, and not just because of the muscle. He had gorgeous tattoos flowing over his shoulder blades, wrapping across the back of his ribcage and over his shoulders. Thick, black whorls and swirls that stood in stark contrast to his tan skin. His hair was once again in a bun, and she could see some curly strands that had fallen out of the hair tie, framing his face.

Nesta took a step forward. The floor creaked under her foot and Cassian turned around, spatula in hand. He smiled at her when he met her eyes.

“Good morning, Nesta,” he said, leaning against the counter. “How did you sleep?”

“Great, considering I now feel like there’s an elephant stampede in my brain.”

Cassian just laughed and gestured to one of the stools he had on the other side of his counter. She sat down and rested her head on the cool tile. A second later, she heard a clink next to her ear. She turned her head to the side and was met with a steaming mug.

“Coffee,” she heard him say. “Do you want cream or sugar?”

“No, thank you. I think plain and strong will be good for me.” He laughed in reply and despite the pounding headache, Nesta felt herself smile. She listened to him move around the kitchen, opening cupboards and setting what she assumed were plates down on the counter. She only looked up when she felt him sit down on the stool next to her and the full scent of food hit her nose.

She glanced over at him and met his eyes, softly watching her.

“If you eat, I’m sure you’ll feel much better,” he said. She could tell he was fighting a laugh.

Nesta glared at him but lifted her head and picked up her fork anyways. The first bite was heaven. The eggs were fluffy and cheesy and everything she needed. She quickly finished her plate and then started on the coffee. As she sipped from the mug she took the chance to glance around what she could see of his apartment. It was clean, organized, everything had a place it seemed. But it was also homey, pictures on the walls, a few books on the coffee table, and what looked to be an old, worn, well loved blanket thrown over the couch.

She was pulled out of her perusing when Cassian began to speak.

“So, I can take you home anytime, I just need to be out of here by at least 10 so I can pick up my friend to get to Mor’s cake tasting on time.”

She turned to face him, and with the food and Advil kicking in, and his close proximity, she had to work to compose herself before she trusted her brain not to mention his chest and tattoos.

“Where did you say your friend lived?”

“I didn’t actually, but like 3 miles north of here, just past the bar we were at last night.”

“Oh, well, I live like four blocks past the bar in that same direction. You can drop me off then, so you don’t have to make two trips. Or you know I could just call a cab right now, save you the trouble all together.”

He smiled at her, “No, don’t worry about it. Especially if it’s on the way.”

“What time is it anyways?” she asked. The shades were pulled on all the windows, so she couldn’t tell exactly how bright it actually was outside.

“Like 6:30,” Cassian said around a mouthful of eggs.

She had to stop herself from spitting out her sip of coffee, “6:30? AM? Oh my god, why are you awake right now?”

“I wake up this early to work out, it’s just habit,” he replied with a shrug and took another bite of eggs.

“You’re insane. Saturdays are for sleeping in.”

He leveled her a look, “Saturdays are for getting things done and being productive. If you don’t wake up early you just waste the day.”

She rolled her eyes at him, “That’s what every other day of the week is for. Saturdays are the only days _actually_ meant for relaxing.”

“Well if you're so offended by the time, you can go back to sleep.”

“Maybe I will,” Nesta said, standing up to wash her plate. It was the least she could do, after he let her stay in his bed and then made her breakfast. She heard him get up and follow her to the sink. She set her dishes down and turned around to face him, “Where do you keep the spon-”

She hadn’t realized how closely he had been following her until her face was met with his chest. She allowed her eyes to roam over his tattoos and shoulders, before slowly dragging her gaze up to his face. His face mirrored the surprise on her own, but the look he was giving her was intense and the charged energy that had been between them since the night before was palpable. His arms came up on either side of her so he could set his own dishes in the sink. He didn’t move though, instead resting his hands on the bit of counter she was leaning against. Cassian tilted his head down, his eyes asking a silent question and Nesta gave him a nod.

At the first brush of his lips against her cheek, she moved her hands up to his shoulders and began tracing the dark lines of his tattoos. She felt him shiver as he moved his head and the hair that had come loose from his bun tickled her shoulder. As his lips met her neck she closed her eyes and tightened her grip on his shoulders. Heat flooded her body as he lifted his head and stared into her eyes.

She had known him, technically, for less than 24 hours, but Nesta had never felt this way about anyone before. They clearly had some sort of connection. She wasn’t some sappy romantic that believed in fate, but if she did, she would probably say it was almost like the strings of their lives were always meant to meet and intertwine.

She didn’t know which one of them moved first, but suddenly her lips were on his and his hands were tugging her hips closer. She let her hands wander down his chest, across his hips and then up his back. His own hands trailed over her ass and down to the backs of her thighs. Cassian picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She detached her lips from his, muttered a quick, “Don’t drop me,” and attached her lips to his neck. Cassian chuckled as he began to walk back down the hall, towards his bedroom.

As he walked, Nesta made quick work of discarding her sweater and shirt on the floor. He gently laid her on top of his bed and moved to hover over her. Her hands found the waist band of his shorts and he sucked in a breath.

“Wait,” he said, interrupting her movements. “Wait, are you sure?”

Nesta met his eyes, searched his face. She normally didn’t sleep with people she just met, but something felt different with him.

“Yes,” she said, voice confident and unwavering. “Are you?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

He smiled down at her, already moving to connect his lips with hers, “Oh, most definitely.”

…

“I don’t normally do that,” Nesta said to Cassian as they were lying in his bed much later. She was lying on her side, mirroring his own position. They were so close their noses were touching and his hand been running up and down the side of her torso for the last ten minutes.

“Don’t normally do what? That thing with your tongue? Because if not, you definitely should,” he replied with a smirk.

Nesta smacked him on the shoulder, “No, you asshole. I mean I don’t normally sleep with people I don’t really know.”

“It wouldn’t matter to me if you did.”

She rolled her eyes, “How nice of you.” Nesta turned away from him onto her back. It was obviously pointless to try and have this conversation with him now.

“Hey,” he said, moving so that his head hovered over hers. He tilted her chin up so her eyes were forced to meet his, “I don’t normally sleep with people I don’t really know either.”

She wanted to shrink away from the look he was giving her, but she remembered what Elain told her years ago. Openness and honesty, they would get her much farther than closing herself off.

“Something feels different with you,” she admitted to him in a whisper.

He moved to kiss her forehead, “I know, something feels different with you too.”

Turning back towards Cassian, Nesta was about to settle further into the pillows and blankets when she noticed the door to his room was wide open.

“Oh my god, you left your door open,” she hissed at him. “We could have woken up your roommate! He could walk in on us!”

He rolled his eyes and laughed, “Relax, Rhys is out of town with his sister this weekend, taking her to look at colleges in San Diego. No one is here but us.”

“You’re roommate’s name is Rhys?”

“Yeah. That’s him in the picture on my nightstand,” Cassian said. He reached over her to grab said picture and handed it to her. She took it and studied the three men in the frame.

“That one in the middle is Rhys and this is Azriel. We were all roommates in college. Az ditched us when we graduated though, said he needed his own space. He basically lives here anyways, so I don’t even know why he bothered,” he explained, pointing to the other two men in the picture.

“Oh my god, fuck,” Nesta groaned, rolling over to shove her face into the pillow.

“What? What’s wrong? Do you know them or something? I feel like I would already know you if you knew them…” he mumbled the last part more to himself than to her.

“That’s Rhysand Pindar. This is so bad.” She turned her head slightly to look at Cassian’s face.

Confusion, and then horror, overcame his features. “Oh my god. Please don’t tell me you two slept together? I mean, it doesn’t matter. I like you and I don’t care who you slept with before. Not that I don’t care! It’s just, this could make this,” he said, gesturing between them, “a little complicated. Not that I would care, you know, you two can sleep with who ever you want, obviously. Normally we just aren’t interested in the same girls, so this has never happened-”

Nesta took mercy on him and cut off his stuttering. “I didn’t sleep with him, Cassian. He dated my sister!”

“You have a sister?”

“I have two sisters actually,” Nesta responded, as she sat up and began to look for her clothes. “But that’s hardly the point! Listen, he can not know I was here, okay? He can’t know I met you, he can’t know you know me, he can’t know any of it.”

Cassian sat up, the sheets pooling around his hips, “Why did they have a bad break up or something?”

“Honestly? I don’t really know,” she said, as she located her pants and began to pull them up her legs. “Feyre never really wanted to talk about it. As far as I could tell it was a mutual thing.”

“Wait? You’re an Archeron? You’re Feyre Archeron’s sister?” he asked, disbelief blooming across his face.

“Um, yes?”

Cassian rolled his eyes and ran his hands over his face, through his hair, “That’s why you looked so familiar at first. I should have known.” He groaned, “I’ve seen hundreds of pictures of your sister through the years. You two look so much alike. I should've known.”

“Well too late now,” Nesta said, walking out of the bedroom door. She heard Cassian get out of his bed and stumble after her.

“Why is this so terrible? He literally still finds excuses to bring her up in conversation. Does she hate him?”

“I don’t know! She never talks about him. It’s a sore subject for her,” Nesta turned around as she picked up her sweater, thankful to see he had been kind enough to put his boxers back on. She began tugging her sweater over her head.

“Well I know he would love to see her, and he’s not seeing anyone right now so you wouldn’t have to worry about it being awkward in that way. You have to tell me why you’re freaking out. Does _she_ have a boyfriend?”

This was ridiculous. The most ridiculous situation she had ever gotten herself in. Here she was, standing in front of a gorgeous man, who just so happened to be the best friend, _and roommate_ , of her sister’s high school ex-boyfriend. She had to get out of here.

She sighed, “She doesn’t have a boyfriend. At least, not anymore. He was an ass and she literally just got out of this terrible relationship _yesterday_. So I really can’t put her through this okay? She has a lot to figure out and…” Nesta could feel tears beginning to well in her eyes. God what was _wrong_ with her? She took a deep breath, “Listen, Feyre and I had a terrible relationship for a really long time. And it was mostly my fault. Over the past couple years, we’ve finally started to fix things and I just really can’t be responsible for adding more confusion and stress into her life right now.” She turned on her heel and began to walk towards the door.

“Wait, Nesta!” Cassian ran in front of her before she could open the door.

Nesta gave him a small smile, “Look, you're funny and nice and smart and I feel like I can have an _actual_ conversation with you. But if we were… _something_ … and Rhys saw me, he would ask about Feyre and do you want to be the one to tell him she’s all the way across the country and one hundred percent unavailable? Or what if you met Feyre? And she asks where you went to school or figures out you know him? And then she rushes into something she’s not ready for and they ruin any shot they had with each other? I just can’t do that to her.” Nesta gently pushed past him and opened the door. She only hated herself a little bit as she stepped into the hallway, fully prepared to walk home, since her phone was still dead and she had no way to call a cab.

She was halfway down the hall before he yelled after her, “We don’t have to tell them!”

Nesta stopped walking and slowly turned around, “What?”

He jogged out into the hallway to meet her, still in his boxers, “We don’t have to tell them. I won’t tell Rhys about you. You don’t have to tell Feyre about me.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “And how would that work? When I inevitably walk out of your room and right into Rhys as he’s having his morning cup of coffee?”

“We don’t have to come here. Ever, if you don’t want. We could just hang out other places. We keep it a secret, until you think Feyre can handle it. Until she’s ready. Rhys would never, never, want to do anything that could potentially upset Feyre, I’ve heard him talk about her enough times to know that’s true. So if he did see you, and you explained, he wouldn’t make any moves, no matter how much he wanted to. But I understand your want to protect your sister. If you don’t want to risk it, then I can deal with that.”

“You don’t really seem like the type of person who likes to keep things hidden from your friends.”

“How would you know?”

Nesta gave him an incredulous look.

“Fine, normally I don’t. But, I don’t know. I had the biggest, stupidest crush on you that whole summer in swim lessons. And maybe this is the universe’s way of saying, ‘Go for it. She pushed you into the pool, now jump into the deep end together.’”

Nesta pretended to gag and Cassian’s smile grew. “Gross, that is so cheesy.”

Cassian took Nesta’s hands in his own, still smiling, “Look, if you don’t want to do this thing that’s okay. But I really like you and I want to try this.”

Nesta studied his face and bit down on her lip. She watched his eyes track the movement.

She sighed and his eyes shot back to hers, “I want to do this too. Just, no telling Rhys until we know how Feyre is doing, okay?”

“Promise.”

“Okay then,” Nesta smiled and gave Cassian an appreciative once over. “We should probably get you back inside before one of your neighbors comes out here.”

He chuckled and still holding her hand, led her back into his apartment.

…

Cassian pulled up to her building two hours later. This was maybe the first time ever Nesta wasn’t more excited to go inside and curl up with her book than to hang out with another human being. She turned to face him.

“So, I’ll see you on Tuesday then? I’ll pick you up at 7.”

“I’ll be counting down the seconds.”

She rolled her eyes at him, a small smile gracing her face, and was about to open the door when she felt his hand on her arm. She turned back and he immediately pulled her in for a searing kiss. Gods above, if he was going to kiss her like this, how would she make it out of his car?

Eventually, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, “I’m so glad you were at that bar last night.”

She tried to even out her breathing and looked up at him through her lashes, “Me too.”

He looked like he was about to lean in again, but Nesta cut him off, “If I don’t get out of the car right now, you’re going to be late to Mor’s cake tasting. I have a feeling she won’t be too happy about that.”

He sighed, but smiled regardless, “Fine, I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

She gave him a real smile that time, broad and unrestrained, and stepped out of the car. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked up the steps to the front door of her building. Only when she had unlocked the door did she turn around and give him a wave, signaling it was okay for him to leave. He waved back and slowly pulled into the street. Nesta opened the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath. Tuesday could not come fast enough.


End file.
